How to Build a Batting Cage!

I mentioned in my 2025 Preview that Logan got a batting cage for Christmas. Let me backtrack and tell the story of how that came to be. We always have a party in the summer at our house, a few guys kept pointing out that our yard would be perfect for a batting cage. They kept telling Logan that I should build him one. So around Christmas, he started telling us that was what he wanted. He even asked Santa. Soooo, Santa delivered*

When building this thing, I could not find much information on how to do it with wood posts. So I am going to offer a step-by-step guide.

I bought the following:
Batting Cage Cable Kit
4 15′ 4x4s
4 10′ 4x4s
4 15′ 2x4s
Instant Quikrete
Eye hooks (I bought a bunch)

The weather was crappy early in the spring, so I decided to make the wood look nice. I started sanding, then staining the wood. I chose red, white, and blue stains to give it a baseball feel. Once that was done, and it was nice outside. I dug my holes. I went three feet deep, with a diameter of about 12 inches. I highly recommend a post hole digger for the task. 

I then set the long posts into the ground, and poured the Quikrete. With the posts set, I cut the shorter 4x4s at a 45° angle. These were used to brace the long posts from starting to bow inwards. Those braces went about a foot into the ground. I then attached the 2x4s to the top area of the posts, I used a long (I believe 8″) bolt to connect two of the 2x4s to the post. 

I put three eye hooks on each side, then attached the cable to one end, then ran it to the other. I attached it to the turnbuckle, then cranked the tightness all the way up. It took a couple of tries the first time to get the cable taut enough. You want it very tight even before you start turning the turnbuckle. Once you add the net, it will start to drop a bit. Tight=good

To hang the net, I laid the entire thing out, then started in the middle. I used a ton of carabiner clips. The cage set I bought (linked above) came with 70 and I had to go buy more. Hanging the net was much easier than I expected. I used more eye hooks on the bottom of the posts to clip the net, then used more hooks up along the post to help keep the net taut. For a nice touch, I added some solar fence post lights to the top (Lindsey found them on Amazon for cheap). They do not provide much light, but they look cool.

If you are going to do a project like this, here is a recommendation: do not worry so much about the distance of the posts. My brain kept thinking they had to be 12×35. I even went a little further to give me room, but once it was finished, I realized I should have laid out the net. Saw where the corners are, then placed the posts there. I would think you could do the posts 15×40, then the net would be fully extended, and it would give your cage the full 12×35 area. 

Next up will be some aesthetic touches. I may put a 2×4 on the bottom of each end to attach more hooks to clip the net. I also may put some actual hooks for the kids to hang their bags while we are hitting. I also thought about having a friend make a sign for it, maybe some kind of baseball quote. Not sure yet. 

*Okay, the kids can read now, and sometimes they will read these posts, so I have to be careful. If you want to read this, the text will be invisible–I hope you are smart enough to figure out how to make it appear. 
I asked my friend Dan for help on the cage. He built one in his yard, and offered to give me a hand. It was funny, sometime in November or early December, I sent him a message, and he gave me a material list. Then he said I would need a net, but that the best bet was to find a used one. Within ten minutes he located one from a guy up in Northern Cambria. I went up that night and bought it. Then I had to smuggle it home, get it into a box, and figure out how to wrap it so Logan thought it was from Santa Claus. Fun times! A 12×35 net is not small, nor is it easy to wrap.